About 120 Los Angeles leaders received an initial look this month at findings from the county's first and most comprehensive study of the military population, which will be used to inform veteran policy and programs moving forward. The USC Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families conducted more than 1,850 surveys of veterans to help identify the areas of greatest need in Los Angeles County, home to the largest population in the country. The full report will not be available until fall, but these early results helped jump start the conversation. Read more

The veteran community has lost a stalwart supporter and advocate this month, and I lost a friend and colleague. Steve Robinson, who died earlier this month, was a former Army Ranger, a retired soldier and a lifelong veterans' advocate, who lived by the code of "duty, honor and country." We collaborated often on how we could partner to help veterans coming home. We were more than just colleagues. We were friends. Read more

More than 200 veterans attended the University of Southern California's "Serving Those Who Have Served" Veterans Career Event last month. Organizers hoped to create an event unlike typical job fairs where applicants would leave with slim possibilities of employment. Two key components administered by CIR included a navigator program that paired veterans with volunteers to help them through job-seeking process and an online training course for employers. Read more

This month, an online referral network for Los Angeles veterans launched to help connect them to needed resources throughout the county. Using LA County 211 and Los Angeles Veterans Collaborative networks, the Los Angeles Veterans Portal will allow veterans to search for and access needed services on their own or with the help of a personal navigator. Visit laveteransportal.com